A Highly Warped Tale of Flower Bud Town
by LadyMegami023
Summary: Things are seriously messed up in Flower Bud Town. Girls are doing heavy farm work, while guys are sitting around knitting socks! And that’s the least of it… what is with everyone? Chapter 2 is up. About time.
1. The Decision

**A Highly Warped Tale of Flower Bud Town**

**by: LadyMegami023**

Author's Notes:

-This fan fic is rated T for Teen! 13 and up! Anyone 13 and up, go ahead and read. Anyone under 13… maybe you shouldn't. I can't stop you or anything… but let's just say I warned you... some content may not be suitable for children…

-Why did I rate it like this? Well, it's not so bad in the early chapters, but later on… I might be getting into some somewhat "adult" themes. There's no real bad language anywhere, and I'm not planning on putting in any violence. I'm just rating it right now for safety, because there might be some adult themes coming up in later chapters.

-And one more thing… please don't flame me. Yet. I'm completely new to this… and this is my first fan fic. Later on, I'll accept flames, but only if they actually help me to improve the story. If they're something like "LadyMegami023, your story really sucks" or "LadyMegami023, my dog could write a better story"… well, I'm not even going to read things like that. But if you write something like "LadyMegami023, your story is okay, but I didn't like the part where… blah blah blah…" or "I didn't like your story because… blah blah…" well, I'll accept things like that. Just try and not flame me until I at least get a few chapters up. Like I said, I'm still new to writing fan fiction, and besides, it's hard to tell how good a story actually is when there's only like 1 chapter up.

**Disclaimer: **Sigh… I don't own Nintendo, I don't own Harvest Moon, I don't own the characters… although I wish I did. But unfortunately, I don't. However, the 2 main characters in the story aren't from any Harvest Moon game. Miss Rancher is my own character, and Angel belongs to farmergrl0319. Other than that… I think the rest of the characters are from Harvest Moon games. I don't own them, only my own character.

Chapter One: The Decision

"I'm sorry. I don't think I can take much more of this…"

The figure reflected in the mirror stared back, silent and unmoving. Her long, deep blonde bangs hung in disarray, interwoven with strands of bleached golden highlights. Two loosely-tied braids were draped over her shoulders. A feeling of sadness shone in her dull, grey-green eyes. A pair of oval-shaped glasses sat crookedly on her nose, the girl not having bothered to straighten them out.

"Why did it have to be this way…"

For what seemed like the ten millionth time, she reviewed the memories of her life gone by. At 17 years of age, she had been determined to start a life for herself. She had decided that the city would be the place to do it. So, the moment she had gotten out of high school, she had left her suburban town for the big city.

And now… four years later… she wished she hadn't.

City life had not provided what it had promised to her. She hadn't been able to keep a job for more than a week ever since she had come to the city. She had had to jump from place to place, move from apartment to apartment, each one becoming worse and worse. Her life had gone downhill ever since she had set foot within those brilliantly-lit boundaries.

Now, as she stood within her most recent apartment, probably the smallest and dingiest of all of them she had lived in, she wondered what was in store for her next. How many more days would she last in her current job? How many more days could she _take?_ Would she have to move to a new apartment? One that was, perhaps, even worse than this one?

It seemed like she had been living with this life of misery since… forever. Every day was the same. One miserable day after another. She barely had enough to support herself. And going to college was simply out of the question. Because of that decision she had made… she regretted that decision every morning, every day, and every night.

"I can't take any more. I can't live my life like this. A girl my age should have a life to call her own. She shouldn't have to be lost in this horrible vortex that some people are crazy enough to call city life…"

But how could she escape? Her jobs, despite their paltry wages and endless hours, and the fact that she could never seem to stay hired for more than a week, were her only means of earning enough money to live. Her apartment, despite being small, gloomy and crammed in a musty old building with thousands like it, was the only place she could call home.

But living in a place like that could hardly be called living at all…

"This is it. Somehow… I must escape. I can't take living in the city, moving from place to place all the time, knowing nobody, getting along with nobody, getting nowhere in my future. This must stop.

"…I just don't know how…"

* * *

"Miss Rancher? May I see you for a minute?" The boss's droning voice floated out from the office doorway.

The girl straightened her long braids, smoothed her wrinkled executive's suit, and tentatively inched her way towards the doorway. After what seemed like forever, she made her way through the doorway into the crowded office. Papers and books were stacked everywhere.

"Yes?" the girl answered politely.

"Well, we're in a difficult situation," the boss explained in his monotonously boring, droning voice. It seemed to take him ten minutes to say every word. "You see, our shop is getting less customers these days, so we don't need as many staff workers."

"I see," the girl responded. Of course she saw. This was the story of her life. At almost every other job she had worked, staff workers had been laid off due to lack of popularity and less customers. And she, having the lowest seniority, would always be the first to go. That was the reason she could hardly keep a job in this town.

"Well, I'll be going, then," she said finally. Without another backward glance, she turned around and swept from the office.

The boss watched her go. "The trouble is, she's not the only one," he said quietly. He looked at his list. "We really aren't getting as many customers these days. I only need about ten staff at the most." He looked at his list, which had eleven names, not including that of the girl who had just left the office. "I hate to do this, Angel, but you have the second-lowest seniority. You have to go."

And with a swipe of his pen across the paper, Angel's name was negated from the list of staff forever.

* * *

It was three days later.

"I can't take any more of this," the girl mumbled, opening a suitcase in the shadowy depths of her gloomy, one-person apartment. "I don't think I'll be able to stand looking for another job, only to be laid off a week later. And I'm sick of changing apartments three times a month. I have to get out of here!"

She packed her clothes in tightly and zipped the suitcase shut.

"I'm leaving. Leaving this city forever. The city is no place for a girl my age to live by herself. I don't know where I'm going… but I can only hope it will be somewhere better than here."

She opened a second suitcase. In it, she began packing the rest of her possessions. They barely fit.

"Tomorrow, I'm taking a bus out of here. This is the end of my city life. …after all, my life can't get any worse."

She zipped the second suitcase shut and threw it on top of the first suitcase. It slid off and hit the floor with a thump. She didn't go to pick it up. She just sat down on her bed and looked at the ceiling.

"Somewhere out there… there just has to be a place where I'm meant to be. A job I'm meant to work. A life I'm meant to live."

* * *

She walked into the crowded bus station. People were all around her. They were all strangers. Then again, everyone in this town was a stranger. She knew no one.

She carried her two suitcases through the reception room. She ignored all people on either side of her. It didn't matter. They ignored her, too.

She stopped at the reception desk and placed her two suitcases on the floor beside her. There was no one there. She rang the service bell. Its chime rang throughout the small office. Seconds later, her call was answered. A man came out and sat down behind the desk. He resembled the girl's boss greatly. The boss who had just laid her off four days before.

"May I help you?" the man asked. Hearing his polite voice, the image of the boss disappeared from the girl's mind. This man was nothing like her old boss. It gave her confidence. Confidence she needed in order to do the thing she was about to do.

"Do you have a copy of the bus schedule I could look at?" the girl asked.

"Certainly," the man replied politely. He reached into his desk and pulled out a thick booklet, then handed it to her.

"Thanks." She opened the booklet. Gosh, it was thick. Their schedule must have been busy. She glanced behind her to see if she was holding anyone up, but everyone else seemed to be just waiting for buses.

She needed to find a place… far away. She looked for the bus trips that took the longest time, had the most connections with other bus stops. She flipped into the section describing rural towns. This is the place to look, she thought. What could be more different from this awful city I'm living in now?

I'll just pick one that leaves at about this time, she thought. The sooner I can get out of here, the better.

There weren't many buses that went to the country. And most of them ran only once a week. There was only one bus that left on this day, at this time. And it was due to leave in ten minutes.

"All right," she finally said. "I'll have a one-way ticket to… Flower Bud Town."

"Flower Bud Town? Are you sure?" the man asked. "We only run the bus to Flower Bud Town once a month. It's not a very populated place, with only a tiny town and a couple of farms. Usually only one or two people get on that bus. I would say the population there is not much more than 30. However, if you do want to buy a ticket, the bus is leaving in ten minutes."

Buy a ticket? Of course she wanted to! Everything the man had said sounded perfect to her! Population of 30… tiny town with farm property… it sounded like a dream to her.

"Great," she said, taking out her wallet. "One ticket to Flower Bud Town, please."

* * *

The man hadn't been kidding.

The bus was practically empty. The girl could only see one other person on the bus, save for her and the driver. The other person was sitting in the very back seat of the bus.

"Is this… everyone?" the girl asked the bus driver.

"Sure is," the driver responded gruffly. "Lady, it's Flower Bud Town we're talking about. I'm surprised we even run buses there now. We sure won't be running them much longer."

Well, then it was a good thing I took the bus now or I might not have been able to get there, the girl thought. I sure hope this town is worth it. I spent nearly all of my life's savings on that ticket…

She sat down in the front seat and threw her suitcases to the floor beside her. It was going to be a long trip.

She hoped she was making the right decision. Then again, any place would be better to live than the city.

…

…

Wouldn't it…?

**End of Chapter 1**

Author's final note: Sorry that chapter was so short and so… well, depressing. It will get better, trust me! Just who is this girl? I haven't even mentioned her name yet! And who is this "Angel" person who got laid off at the same time? Well… read on… and you'll find out… and sorry if I didn't get into the actual plotline yet. I will soon, just give me a few chapters. I had to get this introduction over with.

Chapter 2 coming soon…

-LadyMegami023


	2. The Town, the Jerk, and the Nice Guy

**A Highly Warped Tale of Flower Bud Town**

**by: LadyMegami023**

Author's Note:

Sorry I took so long to update. I had a lot of things to do. But here is the second chapter. It's a bit longer and less boring than the last one.

To farmergrl0319 - Thanks for reviewing! I know my story is a little boring right now, but it will get better. Angel will make her first appearance soon.

In our last chapter, we met one of the main characters in the story. She was sick of life in the city, and just had to leave. So she left for Flower Bud Town. She doesn't have a clue what's in store for her… but let me tell you, she will soon find out. On with the story…

Chapter 2: The Town, the Jerk, and the Nice Guy

"Attention, passengers. We have now arrived in Flower Bud Town. Please present your tickets upon disembarking. We are sorry to announce that there is no bus station in Flower Bud Town, therefore we have stopped at the outskirts of the town for the purposes of disembarking. We hope you enjoyed your trip and we look forward to serving you again."

The girl sat, waiting, in her seat, as the bus began to slow down. They were approaching Flower Bud Town. What would it be like? Would it be better or worse than the city she had just left behind?

Well, that was a ridiculous question. Compared to the city, anything would be better.

The bus screeched to a stop, its brakes groaning, signalling to passengers that the vehicle had reached its final destination. The girl stood up, took both her suitcases, and made her way toward the exit.

"Ticket, please," the bus driver said in a flat, unenergetic voice. He turned in the girl's direction, holding out his hand to accept the ticket.

"Uh… sure," the girl mumbled. She placed her bags on the floor of the bus, and began searching through her purse for her ticket. The trouble was, her purse was also home to a few dozen cards, some loose change, a couple of keychains, and several thousand receipts.

"Excuse me," said a deep, serious bass voice behind her. She nearly dropped her purse in surprise.

"Yes?" she replied, turning around to see a figure standing behind her. It was the other person she had seen on the bus with her, the person who had been seated in the very back of the bus. He was maybe in his early thirties, and was very tall and lanky. He had to be just about six and a half feet tall. His hair was short, jet black, and looked like it hadn't been combed in several years. He had cold, deep blue eyes, and somewhat intimidating black eyebrows. An aura of seriousness seemed to occupy the very air around him.

"Are you going to stand there all day?" said the tall man said in his calm, cool voice.

"Er… no. Sorry about that," the girl apologized, quickly ducking out of the way.

"Thank you," said the man calmly, sweeping past her in a flash of black hair and white coat. He already had his ticket ready, and handed it to the bus driver as he stepped off the bus.

The bus driver then looked back at the girl, who had gone back to searching through her purse. He gave her a look that said "Lady, why can't you be more organized, like that other fellow?".

The girl shrugged, and resumed searching. After what seemed like several minutes, her eyes finally landed on the target paper. She withdrew her ticket and thrust it in the driver's hand as she gathered up her suitcases.

"About time," the bus driver grunted, checking the ticket to see if it was legal. Satisfied, he stuffed it into the front pocket of his shirt.

"Er… thanks," muttered the girl, as she stepped off the bus carrying her suitcases.

"Mmm-hmm," mumbled the driver. With the sound of creaking hinges filling the air, the bus doors squeaked closed. The vehicle's powerful engine started up, and in a cloud of exhaust and dust, it drove off.

Leaving her, all alone, by the side of the road.

* * *

Oh, this is just grand, she thought, her sights on the ground below her as she lugged her two suitcases down the road. I'm a runaway. I just got up and left. Now look where I am – in a town way out in the middle of nowhere.

She looked around. Nothing but trees, open countryside, trees, pastures, and last but not least, trees. So much for a town. Had that idiot bus driver just dumped her off somewhere to get rid of her? What if this "Flower Bud Town" didn't even exist?

A feeling of loneliness seemed to overtake her. I'm alone, she thought. Alone in this strange new place. At least in the city, there were other people around. Not here, though. I have no one to turn to and nowhere to go… not anywhere…

"Hey, lady! Where are you going?"

The sharp, male voice cut into her thoughts and startled her. "Huh?" she gasped. Was that a _voice_ she had just heard? A human voice? Could it mean that she was… not alone?

She turned around to find none other than the curt, black-haired man she had seen on the bus. There he was, with his short dark hair and long white coat, holding a single black suitcase.

"The town's the other way, you know," the man said flatly. Catching her blank stare, the man shook his head in exasperation. "You know… Flower Bud Town?" He spoke in a voice similar to the tone that one would use to address a student in Grade One.

The girl shook her head, as if she was just recovering for a huge shock. "S..sorry," she apologized. "I was just surprised to see someone else here, that's all. So you're saying that Flower Bud Town is in that direction?"

"Well, obviously," said the man in his calm, even voice. "You were heading off the in the direction of Marigold Town. That's the next closest town."

"Oh really? That's not too bad then," the girl replied. Well, towns were towns. In a place like this, every town was probably the same, right?

"Not too bad?" said the dark-haired man, laughing. "Marigold Town is over one hundred kilometres away. It would take you an hour just to _drive_ there. Can you imagine how long it would take to walk? It's the next closest town, for sure, but that's just because out here, it's truly the boonies. Nothing but trees and farms. There's a few houses here and there, but honestly, the actual towns are about as scarce as cats at a dog show."

"Oh… I see," the girl mumbled, feeling foolish. "So, are you going to Flower Bud Town, too?"

"No, I think I'll just pitch a tent and camp out right here," said the man, raising an eyebrow. "Of course I'm going to Flower Bud Town. Did you honestly think I was going to hang around here all day?"

"Well, actually, I thought you would've been gone by now," said the girl.

"Hmm. Really?" said the man flatly. "If you want the truth, I noticed you looked kind of… lost. I'd feel like a real donkey if I just left the newbie there to fend for herself, so I decided to wait up a little. It's a good thing I did, or you would've been enjoying a nice, long, 10-hour walk to Marigold Town." He looked at her and his mouth twisted into a bit of a smile. It was more like a sarcastic half-smile, but still, it was a smile.

"Well, thanks. I appreciate it," the girl answered. She was glad that this man, rude as he was, had decided to hang around. She didn't quite like his sarcastic attitude, but a sarcastic tour guide was better than no tour guide at all.

"Well, what are you waiting for?" the man demanded. "Are you coming to Flower Bud Town or aren't you?"

"Uh… oh yeah. I am," the girl responded. "Just let me get my suitcases."

"Get a move on. I don't have all day," said the man, tapping his foot on the gravel road as the girl gathered up her two cumbersome suitcases. The man started heading back down the road, and the girl followed him, lugging her suitcases. They weren't heavy for her, as she was stronger than she looked, but they were large and awkward.

"So," the man muttered. "I suppose I can't just call you "Lady" anymore, now that I've met you to an extent. Not that much of an extent, but an extent none the less. So what do you go by?"

"Ratiasu Rancher," the girl mumbled, nearly tripping over a large rock that had seemingly jumped directly into her path.

The man chuckled. "What kind of name is Ratiasu? Sounds like some French dessert. I've never heard anyone called by that name before. And I thought my friend's name was funny, and his name is Cliff."

"Hmmmph," Ratiasu mumbled. "I don't suppose your name is any better?"

"Haha. At least my name is normal," the man said pleasantly. "I'm Tim, but you can just call me Doc."

What the…? Ratiasu thought. Tim, but you can just call me Doc? How were those two names similar at all?

"Why Doc?" Ratiasu asked.

"Why Ratiasu?" Doc answered. "Okay, okay. Back in my old town, I was the town doctor. People never bothered calling me by my name, though, they just called me Doctor. Guess I became used to it after a while. I prefer just "Doc" rather than "Doctor.""

"So you're new to this town, then?" said Ratiasu.

"New? Yeah, right," laughed Doc. "I've been coming to Flower Bud Town for years, now. I come every fall and stay the whole season."

"Ah. So you know the place well?"

"Sure do, lady. But I hope you're not asking me to give you a tour." Doc's expression twisted into one that might be worn on someone who was drinking lemon juice straight.

"Actually, I wouldn't mind," said Ratiasu. She didn't particularly enjoy the thought of this sarcastic fellow giving her a tour of the town, but who else would? He was the only person who actually knew her name, after all.

"Hmph. Typical newbie," muttered Doc. "Fine, I'll give you a tour, but you'd better not interrupt."

"Okay. That would be great," Ratiasu said cheerfully, or as cheerfully as she could manage with Doc shooting newbie-death-glares in her direction.

* * *

"These are the outskirts of the town," Doc droned, indicating the lush scenery surrounding them. Trees bursting with verdant green leaves, tipped with red and gold, lined the neat gravel paths.

"Wow. It's so beautiful," said Ratiasu, captivated by the astonishing scenery on all sides. Such a striking change from her old city home!

"Yeah, whatever," said Doc. "Anyway, up that path is the mountain. Moon Mountain, it's called. Don't ask why they call it that. Anyway, Greg, the local fisherman, lives up there, along with a bunch of carpenters. I heard tales of an old couple that lives up at the very peak, but I've never met them. Can't even get up to the top of the mountain 'cause the bridge is out. The bridge collapsed about ten years ago and those lazy carpenters haven't gotten around to building a new one. Oh yeah… and my buddy Cliff used to live up on that mountain, until the innkeeper finally gave him a room at the Inn. About time. I don't think he could've been able to stand it much longer, bunking out with those lazy carpenters who talk about nothing but the mountains all day. I swear, those guys are completely obsessed with the mountains."

He sighed in disgust. "Anyway, over there to the south-east is the Harvest Ranch. Recently some bloke named Jack came and moved in there. Jack's only young though, probably barely into his 20's, and I sure don't think that's old enough to run his own farm. He just moved in last year, actually. When I went and asked him what the heck he was doing, running a farm by himself, he gave me some sob story about his grandfather dying and himself inheriting the farm."

Man, does this guy have any emotion at all in him? thought Ratiasu. He sure doesn't seem disappointed about Jack's grandfather dying. It seems pretty sad to me…

"…and down that way is the Green Ranch," Doc was droning again. "Doug Green and his son Gray and daughter Ann run the place. It's an animal farm, I guess. That crazy farmer, Jack, buys his animals from them all the time. And if you head to the Green Ranch and make a left turn, you'll end up at the beach. Nothing really exciting there, but it's a beach all the same."

"That's nice," said Ratiasu. Lush scenery… farm land… a beach… how wonderful could it get? After living in the city, it was like a dream!

"Oh, and if you head up that hill there, you'll eventually reach the vineyard. If there's one thing I like about this town, it's the wine for sure. The vineyard owner's a major grouch, and his daughter isn't exactly the nicest person in the world either, but I guess it must run in the family or something. His wife's nice, anyway, and so is their hired worker, Kai. Nice enough, I mean."

What a positive guy, Ratiasu thought.

"Now if you're still with me," Doc said curtly, "I'll give you a quick tour of the town. And I mean quick."

"Uh… right," said Ratiasu, racing to catch up with Doc as he walked in stiff strides towards the village.

Exiting the outskirts of the town and entering the village borders was like entering another world. Far from the concrete cliffs and crowded streets of the city that Ratiasu was used to, this place was a pleasant, peaceful rural village. There were no cars roaring up and down the streets; instead, the roads were paved in grey stone rather than black asphalt. Small wooden buildings, painted in natural-looking colors or just left unpainted, lined the roads. Everywhere she looked, she could see beautiful green lawns and flower boxes filled with stunning arrangements of tulips and geraniums. What a place!

"On your right," Doc said in his flat voice as he pointed to a pleasantly-painted white building, "you'll see the town seed shop. As you might imagine, they sell seeds here. Lillia Floria and her daughter Popuri work here, and sometimes Lillia's husband Basil visits. One things for sure, if you ever want to hear a long-winded lecture about plants, just talk to any of these guys."

That was nice to know, Ratiasu thought. She wondered if she could ever get to know them without (if Doc was telling the truth) having to sit through a huge discussion all about plants.

The next place they came to was a white building with a peaked black roof and a single steeple.

"Now… we have the church," Doc continued. "Not much to say about it 'cept that it's… well, a church. Pastor Brown lives there, and he also gives the kids lessons. Poor guy. I sure wouldn't want to be stuck looking after the kids."

"Who are the kids?" Ratiasu asked.

"Stu, May and Kent," Doc replied monotonously. "They're all around the same age, seven or eight, but they sure know how to cause trouble. Anyway… up here is the Inn." He pointed to a rather large wooden building, its walls unpainted, with three floors. "It used to be just a bar, but recently, the bartender, Duke, got the carpenters to build a couple more floors on it so that newbies like you could have a place to stay when they came to town. I keep in touch with the bartender all the time, over the phone, and I believe he told me another newbie came to this very Inn just two days ago. She's living in the Inn right now."

Hmm, Ratiasu thought. So I'm not the only new kid in town, then…

"Don't fall behind, there's still more of the town and I don't want this to go on all day," ordered Doc.

"Okay, okay," muttered Ratiasu. Still lugging her large suitcases, which were beginning to get a little heavy, she struggled to stay in line with Doc, who was rapidly advancing down the street.

"Good, you've finally caught up," said Doc. "Anyway, if you see those two staircases there, they just lead to the town square. That's where they hold festivals, but any other time of year it's just a big ol' empty lot. Nothing exciting." He indicated, with a jab of his thumb, two stone staircases which led to a higher elevation of ground. A stone wall with metal railings surrounded the large area at the top of the stairs.

"There's two more streets to show you, unfortunately," Doc mumbled. "If we turn down here, you'll see what we call "The Duplex."

"So you mean, that one?" said Ratiasu, pointing to a medium-sized wooden building with two front doors and two house numbers, 11 and 13.

"No, I mean this one," said Doc sarcastically, pointing to a small doghouse on his right. Seeing Ratiasu's blank look, he said, "Of course I mean that one. Do you see any other duplexes around here?"

Deciding to ignore Doc's rude remark, Ratiasu replied, "Uh… no."

"Well, this is the one, then," said Doc. "Number eleven is the town tool shop, run by Doug Green's nephew Rick. Honestly, I don't know why this dude is running his own shop. He's only about the same age as that youngun Jack. Well, I guess he's not totally running the shop by himself, because the one who lives in number thirteen, Saibara Johnson, is his boss. Guess ol' Saibara shares my opinion. But anyway, Saibara runs a craft shop. I went in there last spring, and there's nothing but junk in there. Heh, Rick Green may be most possibly the worst inventor in Flower Bud Town, but at least he sells something worth buying in his shop, unlike Saibara."

Doc motioned for Ratiasu to hurry up. My gosh, Ratiasu thought, can't this guy give me a break? I'm carrying two huge suitcases here, and he's got, like, this one puny briefcase that probably weighs no more than five pounds…

"If you're still keeping up," said Doc, "you'll see that we've now come to the bakery. Some guy named Jeff runs it, along with his dear friend Elli. The sell food. Can't say much else. If you're hungry, drop in for a visit at their place. That's the last place on this street, so if you'll come along, I'll show you the last street in town. And let's make it quick, okay?"

"Right," said Ratiasu, following him across a wooden bridge. On the other side was another street with less verdant growth and more bare soil. The roads were not paved in grey brick, instead, they were left bare.

"To your left, we have the graveyard," droned Doc. "Not much explaining to do here. When people die, they get buried here. Same with animals. One of Jack's chickens died last fall, and they held a funeral for it here."

Well that was certainly nice, thought Ratiasu. Holding funeral services for animals?

"To your right is the potion shop dealer's house," muttered Doc. "Next to his place is the midwife's house. Guess they must know each other or something, cause they visit each other every day. Up the road is the library, where the mayor's daughter works as a librarian. The mayor and his wife live right next door in the only decent-looking house in town."

"So… that's it, then?" asked Ratiasu. "Is this the whole town? It's pretty small."

"What did you expect, a metropolis?" said Doc. "Nope, this is the whole town. If it's not to your standards, I'm not stopping you from leaving, but I like it just fine."

"I didn't say there was anything wrong with it," said Ratiasu. "This is just what I wanted. Compared to the city, this is a dream come true."

"Whatever," said Doc. "Well, I must be going, but you should be able to get along well enough by yourself now. If you get totally lost, just ask one of the villagers for help. If you honestly need to ask me about anything, which I hope isn't necessary, I'm staying at Elli's bakery."

"Oh, okay," said Ratiasu. "Uh…so, thanks for the tour."

"Mmm," grunted Doc. "Good luck, newbie."

"Hey, wait!" called Ratiasu at Doc's receding figure. "I have one more question."

"Make it snappy," muttered Doc.

"You know that other girl you were talking about? The one who moved to town just two days ago? What was her name?"

"Oh, her," said Doc. "Angel. Her name was Angel."

* * *

"Hello, and how may I help you?" said the hotel manager. He was a big, burly-looking man with slicked-back black hair which was streaked with grey, and a face that looked like it had been cut from stone. He was wearing a white dress shirt and a purple vest. The name plate on his desk read "Duke".

"Uh… I was just wondering, do you have any vacancy?" asked Ratiasu.

"Vacancy? What do you think we are, a hotel or something?" said Duke.

"Uh, well yeah," Ratiasu said flatly. "It kind of says "Hotel" on your sign and everything…"

"Ha ha ha! Just joking," chuckled the manager. "We're a hotel all right." He stopped laughing. "But… er, how can I say this. Uh… we're kind of booked up at the moment."

"You're not serious? You have no vacancy?" said Ratiasu, exasperated.

"Nope," said Duke. "We had some girl come here just a couple of days ago to request a room. We were just about completely occupied, but there was only one person in Room 301, so we let the girl stay with him. Sorry to say that now, we're literally full. There's no living space left in any of our rooms. I would put you somewhere if I could… but right now there's no space left. Hmm… maybe…"

The manager reached into his desk and pulled out a piece of paper. He scanned the paper, saying "Hmm" occasionally as he did so. "Hmmm… well, it looks like the occupants of Room 201 are moving out pretty soon. You can have that room when they do."

"Oh really? Great," said Ratiasu, her mood brightened. "When are they moving out?"

"Well, their check-out date is the 24th of Fall," said Duke.

Ratiasu's jaw just about hit the floor. "24th of Fall? It's only the 1st of Spring now! That's not for 23 days!"

"Hey, 23 isn't that long," said Duke. "The occupants of 204 are the next ones to check out, and they don't leave until the 15th of Winter."

"Uhhh. Thanks…" said Ratiasu. "But.. no thanks. I think I can look after myself."

* * *

"Hmm… maybe I'll just go and bunk out in the mountains. It doesn't seem like such a bad place, and it would only be until the 24th of Fall."

Ratiasu picked up her two suitcases, which she had dropped on the front doorstep of the hotel.

"I suppose I could ask the carpenters if I could stay at their place. I know they do nothing but talk about the mountains all day, but I could get used to that. If that Cliff fellow could put up with it, so can I."

She headed down the grey brick-paved road. Now where was it that Doc had said the mountains were? Now that she was on her own, she wasn't too sure. How was she supposed to get to the mountains?

"Man, I don't have a clue where I'm going," Ratiasu mumbled, sighing heavily. She did not drop her suitcases, though, as that would be a sign of her giving up. She held on to them and kept going. She had to find the way to the mountains, somehow.

"Excuse me… madam? May I… well… ask where you're going?"

"Oh?" Ratiasu could have sworn she heard a voice behind her. A voice so unlike Doc's it wasn't funny.

She turned around and nearly jumped out of her shoes. There _was_ someone there!

He was about her age, she knew right away. It was easy to tell that. He had a youthful aura to him that gave her the impression that he couldn't be older than twenty-five.

She had never before seen anyone quite like this young man. An untrained eye could easily mistake this youth for a young woman… but Ratiasu knew better. His hair was long and thick, falling softly over his shoulders, and was a gorgeous shade of red. His bangs were slightly shorter, and restrained partly by a white headband that he had tied around his head. His clear, blue eyes were framed by a pair of glasses. He wasn't quite five foot six, and looked a little heavily dressed for the mild, early fall weather, as he was wearing a green turtleneck sweater and dark blue pants, and over all that, a full-sized, denim blue apron.

"Uh… I was just wondering where you were off to in such a hurry," the redheaded guy said. His voice was soft and not that deep, definitely not as deep as Doc's.

"The mountains," Ratiasu replied. "You wouldn't happen to know where the mountains are? Some guy showed me before, but I kind of forget."

"Oh, the mountains," responded the redheaded guy. "Just keep going down that road until you reach the ouskirts of the town, then make a left turn and keep going past the vineyard."

"All right. Thanks," said Ratiasu. She turned to leave.

"Wait… are you new here?"

"Yes," said Ratiasu. "I just moved here today. I was planning to stay at the Inn, but it's booked up. So I'm going to the mountains until a room opens up."

"You mean… you're going up to the mountains because you have no place to stay in town?" the red-haired guy asked.

"That's pretty much it," sighed Ratiasu.

"Oh… but it's dangerous in the mountains at night, especially if you don't know the area," the red-haired guy spoke up. "Hmmm… but you have nowhere else to stay… except…"

"Except what?"

"I know! If you want, you can come stay at my place. There's plenty of room there."

"Are you serious?" asked Ratiasu. This guy is actually giving me a place to stay?

The redheaded guy looked at her for a second, then a smile brightened his youthful face. He chuckled, his laugh sounding light and cheery, almost like music. "Yes! Of course I'm serious. I can't let you just go on up to the mountains! Wild dogs live up there, and even worse – carpenters. Once you get them talking about the mountains, they seem to never stop."

"Well… if it's really okay with you… then, all right. I'll stay at your place," said Ratiasu. She couldn't believe her luck. She didn't have to go live in the mountains! Now that she thought about it, living in the great outdoors did have its fine moments, but living among wild dogs, bears, and carpenters that were obsessed with the mountains didn't exactly appeal to her.

"Oh, really? Great!" the red-haired dude exclaimed. "I run the tool shop just down the road from here, in case you were wondering."

"Sooo… you're that Rick Green fellow that Doc was talking about, then…" said Ratiasu. This redheaded guy didn't look much like a "Rick" to her. He looked more like a "Marty" or a "Thomas", in her opinion.

"Rick Green? That would be me," the redheaded guy answered. "And… you?"

"Ratiasu Rancher," the girl replied.

"It's very nice to meet you, Ratiasu," the red-haired guy said in reply, smiling in a warm and friendly way. Well actually, everything about this guy seemed warm and friendly. Ratiasu couldn't help but return his smile.

"So… should we be going?" asked Ratiasu.

"Sure. It's not far to my place. Do you need help with your suitcases or anything?"

"Don't worry, they're not that heavy," said Ratiasu. "Thanks for your consideration, though."

"Okay, if you're sure," the redhead replied. "Gosh… It's been a while since anyone stayed at my place. Cliff stayed for a while last year, and maybe a couple of other people before him. It gets awfully lonely sometimes. I suppose I could go and stay at Uncle Doug's… but cousin Gray can be a bit of a pain sometimes. He never makes me feel at home, even though we're related. Maybe it's _because_ we're related." He looked a little sad. His blue eyes were half-closed, focused on the ground as they walked.

He saw Ratiasu watching, and quickly brightened again. "Oh, look. Here were are already. Told you it wouldn't take long to get here. Just let me unlock the door, okay?"

"Sure," said Ratiasu, setting her suitcases down on the ground to give her arms a much-deserved rest.

The redhead pulled a key out of his apron pocket, slid it into the door lock, and jiggled it. No result. "Oh, that's right," he mumbled. "I have to remind Saibara to fix the lock, but I keep forgetting."

He noticed Ratiasu's concerned expression. "Don't worry," he said. "It'll open eventually. It just takes a few tries." He turned back to the lock and jiggled it some more.

Finally, after what seemed like ten minutes, the lock clicked and the door swung open. "Finally! There we go!" he said. Seeing that Ratiasu was just standing there, he added, "Uh… you can come in… if you want to…" He chuckled pleasantly. "Unless, of course, you actually do want to camp out on the front step. I don't imagine it would be very nice at night. This time of year, the temperature can drop down to just 5 degrees after the sun goes down."

Ratiasu laughed. "Doesn't sound very nice. I think I'll come in." She picked up her two suitcases and followed him into the building. Sunlight filtering through the windows illuminated the room's interior.

So this is the tool shop, huh? she thought, looking around as her footsteps echoed in the small but spacious room. Nice place…

Hammers, scythes, axes, watering cans and other wares were hanging on the left wall, while milkers, shears and brushes adorned the right wall. Beside the entrance she had just come in was a tall wooden cabinet with several shelves inside. Rolled up in one corner of the room was a plush rug that sported the colors of autumn. That rug would look perfect in her house… that is, if she ever got a house…

"Hey, nice place you have going here," Ratiasu complimented

"Aw, well, it's not that great, but I'm glad you like it," the redhead replied. He fell silent for a second, a confused expression on his face.

"Is something the matter?" asked Ratiasu.

"Oh, it's not that," the red-haired young man answered. "It's just that… well, I've had people stay at my place before… but… it's funny…"

"Yes?"

"Well… Ratiasu, you're the first girl I've had…"

**End of Chapter 2 **

Author's final note: Hopefully that chapter was a little better than the last one. It's a bit longer, anyway. Sorry to all Doctor fans for making him such a jerk in this chapter, but trust me, he'll get better. And I'll get to the plotline soon. Just… got to.. get… the… stupid… introduction… over with… lol.

-LadyMegami023


End file.
